Railroad-crossing gate



March 19, 1929. M. FRAN iCH 1,706.112

RAILROAD CROSSING GATE Filed 001:. 8. 1927' 4.Sheets-Sheet 1 fn'uentor Mar/4x70 Zr aw/c 14 ttorngy "March '19, 1929. mm 1,706,112

RAI-LROAD CROSSIIN G GATiI 4 File d Oct. 8, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet.

Inventor Attorngr March 19, 1929. M. FRANICH RAILRQAD' CROSSING GATE 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed 001:. s, 1 27 Inventor JZar/mro flan/bi Man.

Attarngy March 1929- M. FRANICH 05,112

RAILROAD CROS S ING GATE Filed Oct. 8, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jllj Inventor a ar/mm flaw/6% Attorng Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARLANO' FRANIGH, 0F RA'I'ON, NEW MEXICO, ASSIGNOR- TO JOE DI LISIQ, TRUSTEE, OF BATON, NEW MEXICO.

RAILROAD-CROSSING GATE.

Application filed October 8, 1927. Serial No. 224,910.

The present invention relates to railroad crossing gates and has for its prime object to provide a combination of an electro-magnetically operated gatestructure and a mechanically train operated gate structure. Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of two gate structures at a railroad crossing one of which is electrically actuated to a closedposition automatically when the train is some distance from the crossing, said gate being capable of being manually lifted should a .person be caught on the'track and a mechanically operated gate structure closeable by the train as it approaches closer to the crossing. v

Another more specific object of the invention resides in the provision of a train actuating mechanism adapted to be swung by the flanges of the wheels riding thereover, said means'being shiftable by the flange of the wheels so as not to be rocked thereby under certain circumstances. v

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of the combination of a pair of train actuated members one to each side of a railroad crossing so that gates may be closed as the train approaches from either direction but should the same be long enough to engage both means at the same time, the second engaged means is'shiftable to a non-operating position. A still further important object of, the invention resides in the provision of a gate structure of this nature and actuating means :therefor wherein the parts are simple in construction, strong and durable, inexpensive to manufacture and install, thoroughly eficient and reliable in operation and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which they are designed.

With the above and numerous other objects in view. as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a railroad crossing showing my improved gate mechanism and operating means therefor,

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof,- Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially on the line 83 of V i roadway 6 there is disposed a pan of train Figure 1,

Figure at is a vertical longitudinal section taken substantially on the line el-1- of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail elevation of one end of one of the links,

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail perspective *iew of the lower ends of a pair of the rockers,

Figure 7 is an end elevation of one of the housings with the gates engaged thereon,

Figure 8 is a side elevation thereof with the door open and broken away, and,

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the electric wires for causing the electromagnetic operation of certain of the gates.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the numerals 5 denote the tracks of a railway which are crossed by a roadway 6. A pair of housings 7 are disposed to each side of the railway tracks 5, one to each side of the roadway 6. On the inner walls of two of these housings 7 on opposite sides of the trackway there are hingedly mounted gates 8 as at 9. Arms 10 are fixed to the hinged ends of the gates S. In the inner wall of each housing 7 there is rockably mounted intermediate its ends a gate 11 as at 12 so that one end extends into the housing and is weighted as at 13, the weight element 13 being metallic and functioning as an armature to be attracted upwardly by an' electro-magnet 11 mounted inside of the housing above the pivot 12. The gates 11 are shorter than the gates 8.

The rails of the trackway crossed by the crossroad 6 are insulated from the remaining portions of the trackway as is indicated to advantage at 15 in the diagrammatic View shown in Figure 9. Electric leads 16 from a suitable source of electric energy, not shown, form a circuit including the rails between the insulation 15, the four electro-magnets 14 and two visible signals such as lights 17 which are mounted on housings 7 on opposite sides of the trackway. Therefore, while a train is in the block provided by the rails crossed by the road 6, the said train will function as a circuit closer between the rails to close the circuit and cause the energization of the electro-magnet let so as to attract upwardly on the weighted ends 13 of the gates 11 and swing these gates to a horizonwheel-actuated structures comprising a pair of bars pivoted to the upper endsof rockers 21 as isindicated at 22. These rockers 21 are slidable and rockable on pins 23 fixed in the sides of frames 24 and passing through the other sides of said frames. Said other sides ofsa1d frames, that is the inner sides thereof, have mounted thereon elongated bearings 25 for receiving these pins 23.

l Springs 26 are disposed about the pins 23 and impinge against the rockers 21 and said other sides of the frame 24 so as to hold the bars 20 adjacent the inner sides of the balls of the rails 5. Springs 28 are, engaged with a rocker of each pair for holding these rockers in a normal vertical-like position with the bars 20 in. their raised position. The inner outer side corners 30 of the bars 20 are cut away as is clearly indicated in Figure 1. Links 31 are slidable through bearings 32. The lower ends of the rockers 21 have extended therethrough rods 33 transversely of the trackway. One rod 33 is fixed as at 34 with one rocker 21 and the other is similarly fixed to the other rod Thus it will be seen that the rockers are free to slide inwardly toward each others One of the'rods 33 is extended outwardly beyond the sides of the rails 5 and couplings 36 engage the links 31 therewith. The outer ends of the links 31 are formed as is shown to advantage in Figure 5, that is, are curved upwardlyat the end 37 this end 37 being is engaged with the link 46 slidable through a bearing 47 and having a coupling 48 engaging one of the rods 33 similar to the coupling 36,

. Supposing that a train is moving, referring to Figure 1, from right to left, it Will be seen that the flanges of the wheels on the rail 5 will engage the right hand bars 2O to swing the respective arms 21 with their lower ends away from the cross road 6 so as to pull uponthe links 31 which .will cause V the gates 8 toswing downwardly to a closed position. As soon as the train has passed off of these right hand bars 20 the springs 28 will return the parts to their normal positions. In some cases the'train will be long, and the front cars or the engine will engage the left hand bars 20 beforethe right hand bars 20 are free to rise upwardly, but this will not interfere with the proper operation because the left hand bars 20 have been forced downwardly through the operation operating :means. g It is thoughtthat the construct-ion,-opera-' of links 42, levers 44 and links 46 Should, however, the train be short and not reach the left hand bars 20 before being off of the right hand b a rs-20, it will be seen that the lefthand bars 20 will be up and the flanges will engage the corners 30 and push the bars 20 inwardly toward each other without doing any harm to the various parts and without depressing these bars.

In actual practice I contemplate the combination of the train mechanically; operated structure and the'electromagnetic train control'structure in combination so that the electric structure will actuate the smaller gates first when the train is rather remote from the crossroad 6 and then as the train approaches the crossroad' more closely it will engage and operate the mechanically tion, and advantages of the invention will now be'quit-e apparentto those skilled in this art without a more detailed description thereof. The present embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail "merely by way of example since in actual practice it attains the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in thestatement of the invention and the above description. It 'is apparent that changes inthe details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement ofparts maybe'reso rted to without departing from the spirit; and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus describedmyinvention what I claim as new is;:.; I i f 1. In combination a hingedly mounted gate, a link" engaged with the gate for swinging the same, a pair of r'ockable members with one of which the link isfengaged, means for pivoting the rockable members intermediate their ends, a bar pivotally engaged .on the upper ends of the rockable members, and spring means normally holding the bar raised.

2. In combination, a hingedly mounted gate, a llnk engaged with the gate for swmging the's'ame,a pair of'rockable members with one of which the link is engaged,

normally holding the bar adjacent the rail.

3. In combination, a pair of rails disposed in spacedparallelism, two pairs of bars, the pairs being spaced from each other, and the bars of each pair being disposed along the inner side of one rail, a'jpair of rockers pivotally engaged with each bar, means for pivotally and slidably mounting intermediate portions of the rockers, means operatively connecting the rockers associated with each pair so that they will swing in unison, spring means engaged with the rockers to hold the bars raised, link means connected with the rockers, and a swingable gate actuated by said links, the link structure associated with one pair of bars having a lever 10 structure incorporated therein so that the rockers of the two pairs will swing in opposite directions in unison. A

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MARIANO FRANICH. 

